The present invention relates to a channel selection method for a television set and to the television set.
Conventionally, the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-90907, for example, is commonly known as a channel selection method for a television set. The tuner section of this television set is for example a car-mounted tuner in which an audio device having an FM/AM radio and a cassette tape recorder is provided with a function of receiving television broadcasting.
As shown in FIG. 6, the tuner section 21 of this television set is comprised of an insertion opening 22 for inserting cassette tapes or other media; a display section 23 for displaying frequency, time, etc. during reception; a volume 24 for adjusting volume; a replay switch 25a; a fast-forward switch 25b; a rewind switch 25c; a stop switch 25d; channel selection switches 28 comprised of an up switch 26 and a down switch 27 for switching broadcast channels upward and downward; a storage section 29 for storing reception frequencies corresponding to the broadcast channels; and a controller section 30 for controlling each of these configurations in the tuner section 21 or for controlling a receiver section (not shown) with an antenna for receiving broadcasting.
Now, the channel selection method for this television set will be described.
In the storage area of the storage section 29, reception frequencies for their respective broadcast channels are stored. This storage area is set to a maximum storage area at the point of this storage setting, and a reception frequency is switched among reception frequencies within the maximum area that have been set in the storage section 29 by the up switch 26 and the down switch 27, which are the channel selection switches 28. In this way, this channel selection method is known to make it possible to reduce the number of preset keys and even to select only the channels for the stored reception frequencies.
However, the conventional channel selection method for the television set as mentioned above has a problem that it puts considerable burden on the selection of a target broadcast channel if the preset broadcast channels are quite many, since a user has to operate the up switch 26 and the down switch 27 shown in FIG. 6 to switch to the target broadcast channel among the quite many broadcast channels.
Here, a television set can be contemplated in which the channel selection switches 28 are comprised of operation keys for respective integers from 0 to 9 instead of the up switch 26 and the down switch 27. For example, there may be a channel selection method for a relatively few preset broadcast channels that are one or two digits as in the case of terrestrial broadcasting, and there may be a channel selection method for quite many preset broadcast channels that are three or more digits as in the case of a digital CS (Communication Satellite) tuner, and then, as a method for providing a television set that enables channels to be selected with either tuner without tuner switching means for switching among terrestrial broadcasting, BS (Broadcasting Satellite) broadcasting, and CS broadcasting but only with the broadcast channel numbers, it may be contemplated to align the number of digits of broadcast channels with that in the channel selection method having the larger number of broadcast channels, for example to align it with a fixed length of three digits. However, even when a user selects a channel that could be selected with one digit such as a channel of conventional terrestrial broadcasting, the user will have to enter its three-digit number in the same manner as in CS broadcasting, which will put considerable burden on the user.
Instead of the fixed length, it may be contemplated to have the number of digits of broadcast channels variable. In this case, however, it is required to provide certain confirmation means for determining when the number is confirmed, such as a confirmation button or means for timeout. Both of these confirmation means will put burden on a user, since the former case in which the confirmation button is provided is burdensome as it increases the number of the operation keys that the user presses, and the latter case of timeout requires time before timeout. Further, if the user does not often view broadcast channels of terrestrial broadcasting that are selected with one digit but often views broadcast channels of a CS tuner that are selected with three digits, the user will have to frequently enter three digits to view the broadcast channels that are selected with three digits even though the number of digits is set to be variable.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a channel selection method for a television set and the television set that make it possible to quickly select broadcast channels with minimum operations required, to reduce burden on the user, and to achieve the saving of space.
A channel selection method for a television set that displays images of a specified broadcast channel out of received broadcast waves, according to the present invention, comprises: in selecting a broadcast channel, waiting for a next entry when an integer other than particular integers in a plurality of integers is entered to entering means which receives an entry of a channel selection number corresponding to a broadcast channel to be selected; arranging, when one of the particular integers is entered, entered integers including the particular integer in the order in which they were entered to confirm the channel selection number; and selecting a broadcast channel corresponding to the confirmed channel selection number to display its images.
The above mentioned channel selection method for the television set makes it possible to enter a channel selection number with minimum operations required for a user, to confirm the channel selection number when the particular integer is entered in selecting the channel selection number, to quickly select the broadcast channel, to reduce a burden on the user, to eliminate the need for a conventional confirmation button or timeout means, and to achieve the saving of space.
A television set of the present invention is the television set that displays images of a specified broadcast channel out of received broadcast waves, comprising: an entering means which has operation keys for respective integers and which receives an entry of a channel selection number corresponding to a broadcast channel to be selected; and channel selection controlling means which, if a particular integer in the integers is entered while the channel selection number is being entered to the entering means, arranges entered integers including the particular integer in the order in which they were entered to confirm the channel selection number and directs that the broadcast channel corresponding to the confirmed channel selection number be selected.
The configuration of the above mentioned television set can provide the above mentioned channel selection method for the television set.
Another television set of the present invention has a configuration in which the operation keys of the entering means for respective integers are operation keys for respective integers from 0 to 9.
The configuration of the above mentioned television set can make it possible to enter and confirm a channel selection number only with the operation keys for the respective integers from 0 to 9, to eliminate the need for a conventional confirmation button or timeout means, and to achieve the saving of space.
In a television set that displays images of a broadcast channel corresponding to a specified channel selection number out of received broadcast waves, another channel selection method of the present invention comprises: in selecting a broadcast channel, measuring selection frequencies of broadcast channels; resetting channel selection numbers so that a smaller channel selection number is reassigned to a broadcast channel selected with a higher frequency when directed to reset the channel selection numbers in accordance with the measured selection frequencies; and selecting, when a channel selection number that has been reset is entered, a broadcast channel corresponding to the entered reset channel selection number to display its images.
The above mentioned channel selection method for the television set makes it possible to reset selection numbers of broadcast channels in accordance with selection frequencies of broadcast channels that a user has viewed, so that the average number of user""s operations for entering a selection numbers can be reduced.
Another television set of the present invention is the television set that displays images of a specified broadcast channel out of received broadcast waves, comprising: entering means which receives an entry of a channel selection number corresponding to a broadcast channel to be selected; a processing section which stores selection frequencies of broadcast channels corresponding to channel selection numbers entered to the entering means and statistically processes them; and channel selection number modifying means which resets the channel selection numbers so that a channel selection number with fewer digits is reassigned to a broadcast channel selected with a higher broadcast channel selection frequency when directed to reset the channel selection numbers in accordance with the measured selection frequencies.
The above mentioned configuration of the television set makes it possible to reset the selection numbers of broadcast channels in accordance with the selection frequencies of broadcast channels that a user has viewed, so that the average number of user""s operations for entering a selection number can be reduced.